Jun 26, 2015

Things I Eat: Rice Fry

How about a sort of re-visit of one of my favorite, quick, comfort-food dinners? Rice! I did a post Re-Used Rice and Peppers and this sort of going to be the same. Just different flavors.

What You Need

  • Sassy (CHECK!)
  • Rice: You can use take out rice or pre-made rice. I don't know. Whatever rice you got. Don't matter. 
  • Onions: Good ol' onion!
  • Garlic: NOM
  • Asparagus: The perfum of pee, the stalk of success (I thawed out out a package that was frozen)
  • Corn: It's delicious (I thawed out out a package that was frozen)
  • Ginger: I like this squeeze type from Gormet Gardens.
  • Bragg's Liquid Aminos: Or soy sauce. You know how I'm weird. 
  • Sesame Oil: Just a touch!

Look at all this stuff! And it's 6:17pm - it's nomz time!




What You Do
Thaw out your veggies if you are using frozen. You know, 'cause I took this picture I am adding this step. Everything in my strainer in another bowl of warm water. Get it all defrosted.



Fry up your onions in the coconut oil. I like using coconut oil because it adds a special layer of flavor. You can use any other oil you would like. You can add the garlic as well. The later in a dish you add garlic, the more garlicy it will be.


Once you got your base done - which shouldn't that that long. Maybe until the onions are transparent? Caramelized? Slightly raw? You can totally cook them however you want. Look how pretty!


Then you can toss in the rice. I normally add my shot of liquid aminos now, you need a little liquid to keep everything moving. If you are using soy sauce, you might be able to use a little more. The Bragg's I have is really salty, so, I just put in a little to keep things moving. I also add in my ginger knowing I can add more later.


Keep in mind, you are not cooking the rice, you are just rolling it in the flavor and breaking it down. My rice comes right from the fridge, it can be a little chunky and whanot. I just roll it around and warm it up. Add in your veggies - in this case, corn and asparagus. I make sure this is all moving around and getting along. You will want to make sure you veggies are room temperature - not frozen.


Once everything is warm and happy, add in your sesame oil for some flavor. Treat it as a salad dressing type situation. You can also add more garlic or ginger to your taste.

Then serve in a bowl and top with some sesame seeds. .'cause you just remember you had them.


And that's how we do a quick and easy leftover-using dinner in MY kitchen,


Jun 24, 2015

The premises: Eat to lose

Don’t accept the premises: 
Eat to lose. 

You can’t consume more expecting less of an output. That’s like saying you can increase the gas mileage of your car by putting more gas into it.

No. You need to fuel your body wisely with calories, fats, carbs, vitamins and minerals. If you are going to expend more energy, you need more of these calories. If you are going to do less, you need less.

Simple as that.

Now, a lot of foods you can eat in a great amount tend to be high in nutrition but low in calories - a bag of potato chips vs. 4 cups of spinach vary greatly in nutritional quality. This might be the only way to say, "eat more, lost weight." It would also require you replacing the potato chips with the spinach.

Look, people, don’t access the premises that eating more or eating certain foods at certain times without meaning make any difference to your body. If you don’t like to eat breakfast, don’t eat it. If you are hungry, make good choices with the foods you put in. If you want some junk food or a treat – ENJOY. If you want to do more – run, lift, bike, walk – then eat wisely to give your body what it needs.





Jun 22, 2015

With a Little Imagination. . .

I had been asking - nay - DREAMING of having my own sound booth to do my voice-overs. So, work bought me a Portable Microphone Studio Voice Booth Isolation Box which I immediately put to great use! 



The real lesson here is when you dream, dream big. Or you will have a very small sound booth.


Dream big, my friends. Always.

(Kudos to my special guest star - Pyramid Head. Love you, boo!)


Jun 19, 2015

Things I Eat: My New Dealer of Fine Oils

Due to my awesome food restrictions but need to eat, I am a fan of flavored and infused oils. The ability to get usable flavored oils is a little limited, I find. Sure, I can find the artsy-fartys weird shaped bottles of “oil” that no one uses because the bottles are all shaped weird, painted or filled with pretty floating things.

I need real flavored oils for my mouth. Enter Bella Oliva – YES you can shop online.  


Even better - you can actually TASTE anything and everything in the store. Ok, maybe not some of the spreads, but, the oils. Which I care about. It's so nice to be able to really taste a product before taking it home.



Butter
My biggest find to date is the butter EVOO which is best described by them as:
 
This all natural, creamy extra virgin olive oil is naturally infused with the rich flavor of butter. Use this golden, vegetarian, dairy free olive oil as a butter substitute in baking or anywhere you might use melted butter, including: over hot popcorn, with seafood, to dip bread in, over pasta, in mashed potatoes or rice. Made from premium, ultra fresh, extra virgin olive oil and blended in small, artisan batches with 100% natural flavor.

It is all it claimed to be. It’s a real buttery flavor and would be great for dipping bread into or with seafood. I don’t know, I ate it with tortilla chips because I was like, “get in my mouth!”

Cilantro & Onion 
I got this blend Cilantro & Roasted Onion EVOO and I can’t be happier with it. I used it with some homemade guac – just the avocado, touch of salt and touch of this and I was so happy. 

Made with the perfectly blended flavors of roasted, sweet Cippolini onions and cilantro. Wonderful with sautéed vegetables, and excellent as a marinade for meat, fish and poultry. Pairs well with our Honey Ginger White Balsamic Condimento.

I also drizzled it on my fav blend of spinach and sweet potato salad (check out Salad Remix) and it was like eating a whole new delicious food.

The cilantro and onion are so nicely balanced that people who don't like cilantro right off the bat might enjoy this. Cilantro is one of those herbs - you are either in with it, or not. I find it's not overpowering but I do like cilantro. It would be great over some veggies. Mm. I want some now. 

I hope this place doesn't close down because I will be drinking this oil for as long as I can.

Also
Yes, they also have vinegar. I can’t have vinegar – so, that’s not an area I care about. It does make a great gift, a pairing of a vinegar and oil.


Jun 17, 2015

MOC and Office Life

I was on a conference call and normally at this time, I like to see what people put on their Microsoft Office Communicator (MOC) as their "notes."

Mine is pretty classic, "You don't have to be crazy to work here, we'll train you."

Then you realize, you coworker totally has taken the time to take one of your quotes to use it as a his note! What could it be? What awesome factoid or word of wisdom or motivational phrase could it be?


That's right - this one time, in the middle of a free-for-all taking match during a meeting, this gem came out. Glad to see it wasn't unnoticed.

Bacardi does not mean, "bat" by the way. Bacardi is a family name but the Bacardi brand is known for the symbol of the bat. Just so you all know, I know.

Yep. Just. .blurt out "Barardi means bat" randomly and get famous.


Jun 15, 2015

Cancel the 4th, Because 'Murica!

My Facebook feed – after many strong years – has sort of turned into a news feed, or, better yet, a rant feed of reactions based on the careful placement of words in articles. People rarely realize they are being so easily manipulated or ask questions when faced with combinations of words or assumed oppressions or evil.

Sure, sometimes there is evil.

But, since most places rate their “success” on clicks, truth or actual issues are not as important as the flavor-of-the-moment panic or slanted injustice.

I saw this posting – “State Department Reschedules July 4th… So They Don’t Offend MUSLIMS” since one of my friends commented on the situation. Most of the comments were what you would expect (and hope for) if you were a spin doctor, the key words being:

  • Freedom.
  • Terrorist.
  • Middle east.
  • Unpatriotic
  • Bigot.
  • Prayers.
  • Racism.
  • Unfairness.

Some Facts
I decided to dig into this because . . . let’s face it. You got to fact check some stuff out there. Especially if you feel some type of super emotional response.

And probably if you try to categorize one group of people all as one bad thing, you’re going to want to play a little devil’s advocate.


Here are the facts:

  • The rescheduling was for the American embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • American embassies are built as diplomatic missions to improve or maintain relationships with foreign countries. 
  • Indonesia is in Southeast Asia.
  • Southeast Asia is mostly Islam (not sure how may are practicing).
  • The 7/4 falls on Ramadan which is June 17-July 17 2015.


Ramadan Facts
A little about Ramadan.

Ramadan is a time when all Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, gossip, luxuries and refocus all attention on God. Muslims during Ramadan engage in self-sacrifice in order to grant peace to anyone who has wronged them, strengthen ties with family and friends and reinvest in life by dropping bad habits and generally working to have more peaceful and productive lives, thoughts and feelings. Ramadan is pretty deep and it’s pretty significant. Stores close, a lot of typical social events are canceled (or never scheduled) and places with large Muslims populations can almost totally shut down.

I happen to love the spirit of Ramadan. Just cutting out everything to focus on God, family and becoming  a better person. How much do we have? How much do we need? How much do we give? Awesome questions.

It’s a very sacred time - and it is a known time. Sort of how everything in America closes for Christmas, stuff can shut down for Ramadan out of need or respect.

My Thoughts
I couldn't be more proud of my country for graciously choosing to celebrate our own holiday while visitors in another country outside of Ramadan. We have a freedom (yes, I used the F word) to do this.

America is a weird nation. For all our problems and situations, we are one of the most diverse nations that constantly compares itself to homogeneous nations because we want to believe we are one. We are one. One weird collection.

The American Embassy in Jakarta is an ambassador to Indonesia from America and in this one action showed the best of us. America understands how much we love to party on our independence day. But we also understood the huge significance Ramadan which affects 88% of the country’s population.

Instead of alienating and isolating an American holiday and ideal, the choice was made to move it in order to respect the culture, allow Muslims (and, in fact, all of Jakarta  to celebrate along with Americans and show – even though we mess up – we are tolerant of others and work toward compromise in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, as by the Constitution for the United States of America.


Jun 12, 2015

The Daily Smooth: Nuts & Berries

A quick, go-to blend is always a good thing to have in the bag! Speaking of bag, don't be afraid to blend in frozen fruit. I suggest keeping fresh veggies because they get real weird when frozen. Anyhow, pack your smoothie jar the night before so you can quickly blend in the morning.

Today’s Blend



Check out more of my blends by going to the Things I Eat page!

Jun 10, 2015

Nail(ed) To the Couch: Second Look, First Love

When I first got this color, I really didn’t like it. Lately, this color has been making me extra feisty and I actually really, really like it. It is E-Nuff Is E-Nuff by Essie. I have also gotten a lot of compliments on it - which doesn't happen too often with my nails in general - not because it's bad, just, no one comments. 



I was getting feist enough that Bob had me put on another polish - 'cause he's a fantastic guy. I put on Ladylike which was also not a favorite from before - I can say I do like it a little more now but not as much as E-Nuff is E-Nuff. 



This is also a really bad picture. But, I'm in a rush!





Jun 8, 2015

Products I Like Now

A while ago I did some type of makeup review post called Makeup on my Faceup. Well, while I am still using all that stuff, I did branch out to other items recently. Here’s the low down!

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanillé
I got two Laura Mercier products, actually. The first was the Ambre Vanillé.
I have been rocking Unconditional Love by Philosophy which is like a grown-up cotton candy.

Anyhow, I got the hand cream and perfume in Ambre Vanille – I really do like amber and vanilla isn't bad. I have been enjoying this perfume and it reminds me of something, but, I can’t remember what. All that my memory seems to be able to remember is pasta spilled on a book and this scent. Maybe it was from some book I was reading that got perfume spilled on it? The pasta was not my Mom’s.

I am not a huge fan of most vanilla because for a long time growing up, everyone bought me vanilla stuff and I got burnt out on in it. The vanilla is more of a base note, so it’s just lightly there. Very nice. Fresh and warm. Yep.

I have also been pretty happy with the hand cream. I got the little version of it (you know, for $18) thinking it was going to be sort of a watery whatever with some perfume it in. It actually is really nice! My hands are skill soft after two applications. Sweet!

Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm
I have been avoiding Burt’s Bees for a long time. It had been over-hyped in my world and I didn't want
another hippie-non-working oily-wax product that did does nothing but everyone is, like, so OMG about.

I was actually in the grocery store and I saw a selection of tinted chapstick. I have slowly become a fan of this type of product but of my chronic lip biting. I really had crewed the hell of out my lips to the point I can’t wear lipstick  (not that I really do) because it would sit in the scabs but not the untouched skin – or scars (nothing sticks to scars).

I’m a winner.

I made a choice to get the tinted lip balm in rose. I was not originally going to get that color because I thought it would be too red and – you know – stick to the scabs. I ended up going on an impulse because I would love to wear a red lip without worrying about my condition being highlighted.

Yes, I want my cake and to eat it to. Buster.

Love it. I love it. The color is perfect – just a tint that adds a little dewy rose to my lips without being weird looking. It also really has been healing my lips. I found after a week of ripping them to shreds, the recovery was faster.

M-16 Thing
I got a sample of the M-61 Power Glow Peel and decided to get a box. Because I'm a sucker for stuff with witch hazel in it. Why spend $.50 on a whole bottle when I can spend $60 on this?

It comes in a box.

I wanted something that could help clean out my pores with summer being here and with me biking more. I get bugs, dirt, sweat and tears all over my face and having a little extra something might help.

I will say, the only thing you “peel” is the package open. I don’t know why they call it a peel. The instructions say:

Apply peel (a pre-soaked towelette) to clean, dry skin. Gently move over face and neck while avoiding eye area. Do not rinse off.

So, you don’t peel anything. There’s no peel, M-16. Who approved that?

I still use my ProActiv, and love it. I find this is a nice little end-of-the-day rub for me. I felt my skin was a little sticky after I used it – but very much refreshed (probably do the witch hazel which you can buy on its own for your face and/or hemorrhoids). I do feel less. . .dirty with it. It’s pretty nice!


Jun 5, 2015

Things I Eat: Sweet Beet Salad

As much as I don’t like Bed, Bath and Beyond, I also love it. I have been wanting to get a better  spiral veggie cutter for a while – ever since I figured out the Veggetti Spiral vegetable cutter was not good on harder veggies like sweet potatoes.

I love sweet potato. And hard things.

Anyhow, I picked up the Gefu 13410 Spiralfix Slicer because it said “POTATO” on the box. And I was totally ready to return it, too. TOTALLY READY.


Let’s get down to how I didn’t return it.

What You Need

  • ½ of a large beet
  • ½ a large sweet potato
  • Green beans (I had left over French cut green beans)


Beet Report
Have you ever eaten a beetroot? Maybe? Here’s the low-down. First, I got about three full beets – like with the tuber, stem and leaves – because you can eat the whole thing raw or cooked. The leaves are like any leafy green you might normally eat. The stems are also good. So, don’t throw anything you don’t use away right away.

The beet itself tastes very sweet and earthly. Normally, I have seen it as a slight garnish or served with a little cheese. Some people are turned off by beets because they can taste “like dirt” . . . that means “earthy.” It also tastes like sugar. Life is confusing.

Mixed with things, it really brings a great flavor out. Cheese, salad, meat. . .

Beets are pranksters. First, if you cut up a beet tuber, you’re going to find everything turns that red-purple of the beet. Beets love to color everything red. I suggest washing your hands a lot and don’t wear anything you don’t want stained – and/or be careful. Beets stain so well, they are used in clothing dye and as a natural food dye.

Beets don’t stop there, though. If you eat enough beets, you will turn your poop red. You are NOT dying; you are just being pranked by beets. In fact, in some natural health circles, they will have people eat half a raw beet after a bowl movement to see how long it takes things to move from top to bottom – if you get my drift. So, you know, if you eat beets, don’t be alarmed.

What You Do
Wash up everything – your equipment, you food. As my Dad says, “People with tuberculosis sneezed on this.” I would say, “TUBER-culosis?” 

Hahaha. 

Kidding, TB is a horrible diseases that killed many people (like 90% of people who got TB, died from TB and in Europe 1 in 6 people normally died from it) before a cure was found, and the first cure didn't really work and more people died. And people around the world still die from TB. It's a horrible way to go.

Even though I actually peel the first layer off of these things because. . .well. . .tuberculosis.

For this, I took the tuber part, the root, and just peeled it with my veggie peeler to get off the thin layer of skin. Then put it into my machine and (after savagely beating it with a can of cashews) got it secured into the. .mm. . handle part and turned it into noodle like awesomeness!

I cut my sweet potato in half, peeled it and did the same.

It was so pretty. Then I was like – “I like green” and threw in the leftover green beans since they were in the fridge, it was a nice cool salad!



Sure, you could add some spinach or other veggies. You could add the beet leaves. I did not add any dressing because there is a lot of flavor in this mixture already. Add some garlic, onion, seeds – go nuts! You can search for a raw beet and sweet potato salad online yourself and blend in whatever you want.

It was a nice cool salad just the way it was - I just ate this with gusto!! Totally didn’t need any oil or dressing AT ALL. You get so much flavor with these raw, cut gems.



Image Credits
GEFU Spiralfix Spiral Cutter from Amazon.com
The rest is from Wikipedia.
Crappy photos by me!








Jun 3, 2015

Texts with Melissa: Skillz

I know it seems like it's been a long time since Melissa and I had some conversations up here. Mostly because there wasn't anything too earth shattering. However, since the Texts With Melissa series was missed by some of you - it's back!

What's happenin'?


That's right - Melissia was promoted and I still managed to stay employeed. Let's review!


That's right - Melissa is moving through the ranks, taking on challenges and growing both personally and professional. I am slightly intimidated by the amount of work from the autistic kids who come into the office to make notepads. 

That's right - it's part of a program called Preparing Adolescents for Adult Life (PAAL). These kids - who I really like - come in about three times a week and have learned how to make notepads from scrap-paper. 

What?

I mean, I can't even do that. I watched them do it. They measure and glue and. . .I failed Kindergarten. But, there they are working hard and producing some excellent work. I'm. . .you know. .taking selifes. 

Good work, friends. Good work. I am delighted my company works with this program and I am happy these kids and I get to spend a little time together. I mean, I never met them formally. It's cool. I so make sure no one is in that room on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. These kids got real work to do, corporate America!


Jun 1, 2015

Biking Update - Going Good!

Biking has been going pretty good. I'm just not in a super great routine as I have been in previous training segments.

I feel as if I am doing a lot of speed and flat-road work and less hills. I am totally into riding my bike to work now, so, that becomes my "short ride" during the week. It's not hilly - while there is some of an incline during this ride, it's not a "real" hill. Maybe I'm too picky.

This weekend I did go out with my lover and a friend - I also decided I needed to really get into my zone rather than hang back and make sure everyone is there and ok and not hungry or thirsty. . .

Yeah, I booked it. Felt good to really open up and zip up to about 20mph through the sunshine. AHH! That's living. So far, the longest training run is about 37 miles. I felt like I could do 50.

Here is my week mileage from good ol' Runkeeper!



Eating is going well, but, I think I messed up a bit this weekend. I am going to make sure to take good care of my eating this week and not making any slip ups. As I get older, I know I need to really watch this stuff. I don't want to cause damage over and over again. Sometimes, I cannot prevent it. . .I need to work on not having "just a taste" of the foods I can't eat.

I do feel stronger, better and more with it during this training. I also feel a little frustrated - won't lie - that I have more people coming out with me on rides and the speeds and challenge seem to have been dropped. I am working on this. :/